My 'Living Leaner' experiement ended - finally - on Halloween night. While from a pure numbers standpoint, I did not 'win' in my attempt to spend less than $100 on items other than essentials for 31 days. In early October I was so confident that I could do this - perhaps a little cocky. I witnessed it unravel mid-month and continue its demise through to the end. That said, if you look at my experiement for the purpose of education - I learned where my money goes and how spending habits impact my quality of life. I was, in fact, a winner.
The final tally: $287.56.
I feel in full disclosure (perhaps even in my defense) I have to mention a couple things that attributed to my spending. First, I threw a party. It was in line with my theme of not spending but throwing parties costs money and can not be avoided. Our theme: 'Clothes, Booze and Shoes.' I invited seven girlfriends over to trade unwanted clothes. In the end each of us walked away with at least 2 new-to-us outfits with leftover items going to a women's shelter. There was no leftover booze. My other two spending factors: Scott returned from the East coast and together we travelled to Yosemite Valley on Halloween. Though unavoidable, I am happy to have Scott home and to have visited Yosemite.
Overall, I feel pretty good about my spending. While I am sure I could have done better, I learned my life is better when I spend less, or at the very least, spend with presence of mind. My October experiment has ended but I continue to plod along enjoying my leaner existence. I am actually beginning to feel optimistic about the future. Of course, this could all change as the poll results are tallied.... More on this tomorrow.
